Endless Fall
by Nimue Redfern
Summary: Pandora Blackthorn is a former Night World assassin now turned Daybreaker. Richard Borcharde is a human, fascinated by Night World. His task is to kill Pandora for betraying them. Maybe not as easy as it sounds...*COMPLETE*
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: The Night World and all its characters belong to LJ Smith. The characters of Pandora Blackthorn, Richard Borcharde, Willow Silverthorne, Jewel Redfern, Flame Redfern and Rose Harman belong to me. Please ask me if you wish to use them. Inspired by a Lydia Lunch song from the album Windowspeak.   
  
Summary: Pandora Blackthorn is a former Night World assassin now turned Daybreaker. Richard Borcharde is a human, fascinated by Night World. Due to his hatred for humanity, the council have given him the task of acting as a spy in Daybreak to kill Pandora for betraying them. Should be easy...if they weren't soulmates.  
  
Prologue  
  
When you saw her coming, you knew to get out of her way as fast as you could, unless you wanted to end up very dead, very fast. Everyone knew Pandora Blackthorn was dangerous. You didn't cross her and live.   
  
The Night World loved her, she was one of their best assassins, cold, cruel and ruthless, she killed anything and everything, for the right price, of course.   
  
Even the whisper of her name sent a shiver of fear through those who knew her. Pandora was tall, dark and deadly, her skin the colour of marble, her hair the colour of the night sky, occasionally with the odd flash of silver high lights, her eyes, a chilling red, like a demon's, which suited her really, as a demon she was.   
  
A vampire, an unholy creature with the thirst for human blood that powered her need to kill. There was nothing like the thrill of the hunt, chasing down your victim, feel the delightful smell of their fear. Fear of others could be such an enticing thing, depending on who you were terrorizing, occasionally the fear could be erotic.   
  
But even the best falter sometimes, everything comes to an end eventually.   
  
Most people don't see the end coming. It strikes when you least expect it, catching even the most observant unawares.   
  
Pandora didn't see the end coming for her, maybe if she thought of something other than her own pleasure for once, she might have. But all Pandora was concerned about was herself, now and the moment was all that mattered, and how to make herself all the more better. Survival was everything.   
  
But they all fall in the end. Pandora fell. Fate can be cruel sometimes.   
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 1  
  
The end for Pandora began as any other day would for her. She had no idea of what was in store for her. She sailed into the mansion on the outskirts of Vegas, the headquarters for the Night World council. Dark and scary, endless shadows and twisting corridors, the human slaves moved around like robots, nothing behind their eyes, only blank orbs that stared at the floor, never raising to meet the more important people above them.   
  
Their fear hung in the air, wrapping around Pandora like a blanket, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. She smiled brilliantly, tossing back her shawl of midnight hair and strode into the office of the council head, Flame Redfern.   
  
Flame Redfern sat behind a marble desk, red hair the colour of blood cascading around her shoulders, eyes like fire burning from a face that could belong to a high fashion model. Full red lips smiled as Pandora entered, taking a seat without being invited.   
  
"You called who'd you want dead?" Pandora said cheerfully.  
  
Flame chuckled slightly. "What a twisted person you are, you really enjoy this, don't you?"   
  
Pandora smiled again. "Of course I do," she said. "Why else would I do it if I didn't enjoy it? There's nothing like killing a person to make you feel better."  
  
Flame smiled herself. "I knew there was a reason I liked you," she said. She handed Pandora a dossier. Pandora took it and opened the folder, finding herself looking at a picture of a pretty girl with pale gold hair, and violet eyes seemed to shimmer from the picture. She frowned. "And...? Rose Harman is one of your best witches."  
  
Flame had stopped smiling, her face had turned into an ugly mask of rage and hatred. "That's what I thought too, she's one of the most powerful Circle Midnighters I've ever met." Her voice was poisoned with deadly fury. Anyone else would have run screaming in terror. When you heard that tone in Flame's voice, you knew you were doomed.   
  
Pandora eyed her, wondering. "But...?"  
  
"But, it turns out, our little Rose here is a secret Daybreaker. She's been relaying info about us to them, and they have assassins of their own after us, you and me particularly."  
  
Pandora didn't say anything. Even she was surprised. She would have never expected that from Rose. Rose had been her best friend for over ten years. She had never expected she would turn against them, betray her Night World heritage.   
  
And the fact that Daybreak had assassins after them, why should that surprise her? It wasn't as if they had the slightest hope of being successful.   
  
"And it's your task, to hunt her down, and make her pay." Flame smiled again. "I know you won't let me down."  
  
Pandora didn't speak. Flame knew Rose was her friend. This was a test. She just nodded, took the dossier and left the office.   
Friend or not, Rose was a traitor. She deserved to die. Pandora loved to kill people. That was what she did, who she was. She couldn't have any second thoughts. It was kill or be killed, the rule of the jungle. Survival was everything.   
  
Kill Rose quickly, and be done with it. She squared her shoulders and walked out the mansion. Prepared, I'm ready, I can do this, she thought.   
  
She refused to acknowledge the sinking feeling beginning deep inside her. Once in her car, she folded her arms over the steering wheel and rested her head on her arms.   
  
God, she was falling apart. What was she going to do?   
  
* * *  
  
Part 2  
  
Pandora shook her head, pulling herself together. No. She wouldn't let this effect her. This was her job. So what if the target was once a friend. A friend that was now a traitor. She let herself focus on that. Rose was a traitor. She had betrayed her heritage. She deserved to die.   
  
She felt a cold smile stretched her lips, and a shell of ice grow over her. Nothing could penetrate her now. She put the car in gear and headed over for Rose's apartment. Rose lived with her sister, who was out of town on vacation with her boyfriend right now. A stroke of luck for Pandora.   
  
She parked and headed up the steps, knocking on the door. Rose answered, dressed in a black body wrap that seemed to emphasise how slender she was. A silver chain with a pentagram on hung around her neck, flashing against the silky material of the dress. Her blonde hair hung around her, shimmering in the twilight.   
  
"What's up?" Rose asked casually.   
  
Pandora opened her mouth, but her words died. She could feel her hands trembling on the semi-automatic concealed in her purse. "We need to talk," she got out in a cracked voice.  
  
Rose stood aside, a frown marring her pretty features as she gestured for Pandora to come inside. The place was in darkness, lit by some burning candles, creating twisting, eerie shadows. A strange smell met Pandora's nose, making her eyes water.   
  
"What the hell is that?" she asked.   
  
"Incense," Rose said, shutting the door. She blew the candles out and put the overhead lamp on, soft yellow lighting illuminated the room.   
  
When Rose turned to glance at her, Pandora had finally taken her gun out. "New gun?" she asked.   
  
"Yes." Pandora could feel her hand trembling as she pointed it at Rose's forehead.   
  
Rose froze where she was, staring at Pandora in surprise. "What's going on?"  
"You're a traitor," Pandora whispered, she could feel the tremor in her voice. She tried to pull herself together, showing weaknesses for friends was not allowed. This was her job. Her whole life. It determined who she was. She couldn't fuck it all up now.   
  
Rose was staring at her with those innocent violet eyes, shimmering with tears. "Go ahead," she said simply. "If you really think I'm such a traitor. Kill me, like Flame's good little obedient puppy."  
  
Pandora's fingers clutched the trigger tightly. But she couldn't bring herself to pull it in, and sent the bullets home. "Why?" she asked finally. "Daybreak? You? You were one of our best."  
  
Rose stared down, and Pandora could see the light glinting off the tears now spilling down her cheeks. "They murdered my soulmate, well, Flame did," Rose said softly.   
  
"Soulmate?" Pandora asked, feeling disgust. "That's just mushy Daybreak bullshit."  
  
"You wouldn't know, you haven't found yours," Rose said, her tone cold. She lifted her head, meeting Pandora's eyes directly. She seemed a lot more brave than Pandora felt at the moment.  
  
"They killed him," Rose continued. "He was human. Daybreak of course, I didn't believe him at first, up until I saw how cold the Night World really was. So..." She spread her arms wide, "kill me, then."  
  
"I..." Pandora shook her head. She could feel tears of her own now. Rose had been her best friend for years while she was growing up. She had been the one Pandora turned to, since no one else seemed to pay her any attention. Her parents had never really wanted her. Rose had been like a mother to her, as well as a friend.   
  
Pandora was shaking. She dropped the gun, and fell to her knees, shaking her dark head. She couldn't do it. Not to Rose. She felt Rose drop down beside her, felt her comforting hug.   
  
"Now what?" Pandora whispered. "Flame's going to kill me, now."  
  
"I think we both know," Rose said with a smile.  
  
Pandora groaned. "A week ago I would have thought Daybreak was a fate worse than death. But do you really think they'll accept me?"  
  
"They accepted me."  
  
Pandora stood up, unable to believe the turn her life had taken. She had been so sure of who she was. She had been so proud. She had thought she could handle anything. But now she had learned harshly even the best could falter. What would Daybreak be like? She shuddered, unsure she really wanted to know. But she didn't really have a choice. It was Daybreak or be killed slowly and painfully by Flame. She wasn't sure which one she'd prefer...  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Parts 3-4

Part 3  
  
The glass smashed against the wall, shattering into a million tiny pieces. Flame stormed around her office, not in a good mood. Ugh. This was a disaster. Two of her best allies becoming traitors within two weeks. This was *not* supposed to happen.  
  
But they'd pay. No one crossed her and lived to brag about it.   
  
She sat down behind her desk, a cloak of ice seeming to wash over. They'd pay.   
  
* * *  
  
Weak, stupid and pathetic. He hated them, all of them. So dumb, Idiotic. A total waste of time. Their petty squabbles over trivial things. They were idiots. All of them. A virus that had spread over the world like bacteria.   
  
Richard Borcharde hated being human. But he was stuck the way he was. He kicked the dead body a second time, glancing around the dark alley, making sure no one had seem him. The damned Daybreaker was very dead. Good. Daybreakers were almost worst than regular humans.   
  
"That was fast, even I have to admit, I'm impressed."  
  
Richard looked up, annoyed. He scowled at Jewel Redfern, who emerged from the dark shadows. He was well aware of the Night World, stumbling up on Jewel slaughtering some dumb human. He'd been impressed. He hadn't run screaming.   
  
Night World was the place for him. It was rare, apparently that they'd actually accept a human. But because he hated humans so much, they liked him. But they still wouldn't change him. Jewel said it was better for him to be human. Never being human herself, Jewel wouldn't know about the pains of it.   
  
But she claimed it was good, cause he could fool the Damned Daybreakers, then it would be easier to sneak around and kill them. Tha had actually worked out pretty well for him. But he still despised the human race.  
  
"What do you want, Jewel?" he said bluntly, not in the mood for being polite.  
  
Jewel gave him a stunning smile. She was a stunning girl. Tall and lithe, without being overly muscular. Dark hair fell in curls to her shoulders, and silver eyes shone in a perfectly sculpted face. "I have an assignment for you."  
  
Richard raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
  
"But first, the head of the Night World would like to meet you."  
  
Richard smiled faintly. "Really. Should I be flattered?"  
  
"Since you're a puny little human, yes, you should," Jewel answered, and before he could say anything else, she had grabbed his arm and was dragging him to a long black limo at the mouth of the alley.   
  
  
Convenient. He let the "puny human" remark go. He wasn't exactly sure how to feel about meeting the head of the Night World. They were supposed to hate humans as much as he did.   
  
"So who is this person, anyway?" he asked Jewel once the limo had roared away from the curb.   
  
"Flame Redfern," Jewel answered, crossing long perfect legs at the knees. "She's heard a lot about you."  
  
As far as he knew, the only Night People in the small town were Jewel, Pandora Blackthorn, another Night World assassin, and a few Damned Daybreakers. He doubted the Daybreakers would know who he really was.   
  
Pandora, he knew vaguely. But as far as he knew, Pandora was cruel, cold and self-involved, caring for no one but herself. She wouldn't be talking about him to the council.   
  
So that only left Jewel. He wasn't sure whether he was pleased about that or not.   
  
The Night World headquarters was a large creepy mansion on the outskirts of Las Vegas. The small town he lived in, Elder Creek, was about a half an hour drive away.   
  
He couldn't help feeling grimly amused as Jewel led him into the house. Dark and twisting and vaguely Gothic. Like something from a horror movie.   
  
Flame Redfern was even hotter than Jewel, hair red as blood, softly rippling down her back like a waterfall, eyes like fire burning in a gorgeous face.   
  
"So you're the human who hates being human," Flame said, seeming amused.   
  
Richard shrugged. "Humans are idiots."  
  
Flame chuckled. "All right, I'm with you on that one. Maybe not *all* of them are useless and vermin."  
  
Richard's eyebrow raised. He decided he liked her.   
  
"Do you know a Pandora Blackthorn?" Flame asked.   
  
Richard frowned. "Pandora? I've met her a few times." He made a face. "What a bitch."  
  
Flame frowned, her eyes flashing dangerously. "That may be, but she's a traitor."  
  
Richard frowned himself. That was a surprise. Pandora was one of the coldest people he'd ever met. "What's this got to do with me?" he asked.   
  
"She's Daybreak, I want you to infiltrate Daybreak and kill her."  
  
  
  
  
Richard wasn't sure what to think. Killing Pandora shouldn't be a problem. She was a traitor, she deserved to die. The only thing he wasn't happy about was pretending to be Daybreak. He hated them.   
  
"Why should I do this?" he asked finally. "What's in it for me?"  
  
Flame smiled again. Her moods seemed to shift so dramatically it should have been scary. To any other human it would have been. "Maybe, if you do this for me, then I might consider making you a full Night Person. You can wave bye-bye to humanity."  
  
Richard frowned. The idea of that did sound very enticing. He studied Flame, thinking he wouldn't mind having her teeth in his throat. If he did this, he would finally get out of being human once and for all. And for that, he was willing to make the sacrifice of pretending to be Daybreak. The best had to suffer sometimes.   
  
"What the hell, I'll take the assignment," he said.   
  
Flame smiled. "I know you won't disappoint me. Go away and get on with it."  
  
He left then, a lot more cheerful than he had been earlier in the evening. This was what made being bad so much fun.   
  
* * *  
Part 4  
  
Pandora sighed, tapping her fork against the mush on her place from the high school cafeteria. She looked around the mass of students, finding it hard to believe she seemed to have something of a place amongst them.  
  
She couldn't believe the change in herself either. Circle Daybreak had been a little wary of her at first, but they had helped her deal, and so far, there had been no problems from the Night World.   
  
Pandora was convinced there was something up. There was no way the Night World would let one of their best assassins, and one of their most powerful witches suddenly get away.   
  
"Lighten up!" Willow Silverthorne commanded. "You're the most depressing person I've ever met."  
  
Pandora managed a weak smile. She had moved into a Daybreak safe house with Rose and her friend made vampire Willow. Willow had come into Daybreak after the Night World had murdered her family, for what reason, it was unknown, but she had been happy to settle in with Rose and Pandora, the new recruits sticking together. Willow was nice, but a bit of an airhead.   
  
"Hey, check that out," Willow said, a note of excitement creeping into her voice.   
  
"What?" Rose asked, biting on a carrot stick.   
  
"Look who's eyeing Pandora."  
  
  
  
  
Pandora glanced around. She was used to people gazing at her, but they didn't seem to want to get too close. She could see Richard Borcharde eyeing them. A human who hated being human. She had met him once or twice. She knew Jewel Redfern, the lead Night Person of the town liked him. Richard was cute, muscular, dark hair fell to his shoulders, murky green eyes glowered out of a handsome face. But he was actually giving her the eye. Pandora ignored him and turned back to the thing that was supposed to be passed off as food on her plate.   
  
Willow stared at her in disbelief. "What's the matter with you? He's gorgeous!"   
  
Pandora opened her mouth, but before she could say anything Willow had caught Richard's eye and was waving him over to her table. Pandora glared at Rose, who was trying not to snicker.  
  
"What are you smirking at?" Pandora snapped.  
  
"Nothing," Rose said innocently.   
  
"What's up," Richard said as he joined them, taking the chair between Pandora and Willow.   
  
Pandora just shrugged. Something was up here. She knew this guy despised humans, also despised Daybreaks, hell, she even knew of a few he'd killed.   
  
"Not much," Willow said cheerfully.  
  
Her brightness was really starting to get to Pandora. She tuned Willow out as she went on blathering about innocuous things. One thing she noticed, Richard looked almost nervous. Richard? Nervous? That didn't seem like a likely combination.   
  
"What's wrong?" Rose asked, smiling a little. "We're not going to bite you. Well, Pandora might," she added with a lopsided smile.  
  
"Oh shut up," Pandora said with a glare.   
  
Richard looked around uncomfortably, and Pandora found herself following his gaze to Jewel, who was looking daggers at them.   
  
"Uh-oh," Willow said sympathetically. "That can't be good."  
  
"Tell me about it," Rose snorted. "Jewel's not exactly the type of person you want to piss off."  
  
"You got that right," Pandora muttered.   
  
Richard smiled a little. Pandora didn't like the crackling tension in the air between them. He kept looking over at her, as if he were trying to get her attention or something. Well, it took more than looks to get her to notice a guy.   
  
"I don't think that's why she's got her eyes on me," he said.   
  
He was vain. Pandora didn't like him. She really didn't.   
  
"She's got her eyes on you cause you're cute," Willow said. Pandora and Rose exchanged glances. Did the girl have *no* shame?  
  
"I don't know if coming from Jewel that's something to be flattered about," he said dryly. "She's the walking undead after all."  
  
Rose and Willow exchanged glances. They looked over at Pandora who just shrugged.   
  
"You know about..." Rose trailed off.   
  
Richard frowned. "Yeah. I saw her kill someone."  
  
"You need to get somewhere safe and far away from Jewel then," Willow said. Then she brightened. "Hey, come take our spare room."  
  
Pandora looked up, angry, and unsure why. ~What the hell are you *thinking*?~she hissed at Willow mentally.  
  
"She's actually got a point," Rose said with a frown. "Jewel's gonna hunt you down until you die, if you saw her kill. Humans aren't supposed to know about...uh..." She trailed off again.   
  
Pandora gave up. What was the matter with these two? But they were right about one thing. Jewel never gave up. Never. If she wanted someone dead, they would be dead. However, Jewel had a reputation for playing with her victims first off. "Like a cat plays with a mouse," she muttered.   
  
"Something I'm sure you're very familiar with," Willow said with a snort.   
  
Pandora opened her mouth to protest, then shrugged. She regretted what she'd done in the past, but it was all over now. She wasn't going to look back.   
  
"What's she talking about?" Richard asked.   
  
"I used to work for Night World but I don't anymore," Pandora muttered.  
  
Rose smiled. "She got some sense knocked into her."  
  
Richard seemed kind of contemplative. After a while, he said, "If your offer's still good I might take you up on it."   
  
"Of course, we'll have to check with headquarters first but I'm sure they'll be okay with it," Rose said.  
  
"Whatever. Uh, I have to go now." And he left. Pandora lost sight of him in the swarm of students. She hadn't even been aware she'd been watching. She didn't like him. She didn't. Didn't.   
  
"What the hell are you two thinking?" she snapped. They didn't know Richard's reputation. She did. What were he and Jewel up to?   
  
Willow smiled. "Use your imagination. Be creative."  
  
"God, do you ever think of anything else?" Pandora muttered.  
  
"What's the big deal?" Rose asked. "The guy needs help, we'll help him. That's what Daybreakers *do*, you know."  
  
  
"I know," Pandora said. "But I heard Richard absolutely *hates* humans. He doesn't like Daybreakers much either. I just don't trust him."  
  
"That's just a rumour. Maybe he's different from what you've heard," Willow said. "You're just being paranoid."  
  
Pandora had only heard about Richard through Jewel. She knew Jewel had a tendency to exaggerate. Jewel didn't like her very much, would she lie? Was Richard really up to something?   
  
She found herself wanting to believe Willow's idea that she was just paranoid. But she had trouble convincing herself.   
  
* * *  
Part 4  
  
As Richard left the cafeteria, a smug smile on his face, he immediately felt the probing eyes and cold presence. "What is it, Jewel?" he said with a heavy sigh.  
  
Jewel appeared beside him, a smile on her face. She looked at him, with something between confusion and fascination. "How do you *do* that?" she asked with a snort.   
  
Richard just shrugged. "I don't know, I just know when *you're* around is all."  
  
Jewel smiled again. "Is that a compliment?"  
  
Richard paused. "I'm not sure."  
  
"How's everything going?" she asked.   
  
Richard smiled. "So far so good. They think I'm an innocent little human who's trying to avoid the nasty vampire." He gave her a sideways glance.  
  
Jewel chuckled. "The stupidity of these Daybreakers never ceases to amaze me," she snorted. "They accept anyone who they think needs help with open arms."  
  
The bell rang then, and they were almost run down by a mob of students hurrying to get to class. When the crowd cleared, Richard found himself alone. Jewel had gone.  
  
But he could still feel an uncomfortable presence in the air. He really didn't know how he could tell that, but he didn't like what he felt. It wasn't Jewel, she was gone.   
  
He looked around, spying Pandora glaring at him from down the hall. He tried to approach her, but she was gone in a whirl of darkness. For someone who was supposed to be Daybreak, she had a surprising amount of blackness about her. She was still dark and threatening.   
  
But it didn't matter. As attractive as she might be, she was a traitor, and she deserved to die.   
  
Right?  
  
* * *  
  



	3. Parts 5-7

Part 5  
  
Barely a week had gone by, and Richard felt like screaming and slaughtering the lot of them. Willow had been on the phone with Circle Daybreak head quarters, clearing him living with them with the big important people. She was driving him insane with her insistent flirting.   
  
Rose was different, cool, she seemed most in control of herself, and annoyed him the least. He had to admit, he might even like her. He snorted in disgust, what was happening to him?  
  
And as for Pandora, every time he looked at her, she glared. He tried to be nice, but she just blew him off. She refused to stay in the same room with him. Killing her was getting harder and harder.  
  
Jewel wasn't going to be pleased. He sat in the local Black Iris, known there and accepted due to his hatred for humanity; despite the fact that he was human himself, they seemed to like him.   
  
"Well? She dead yet?" Jewel slid into the booth opposite him, looking stunning as ever, in a tight purple leather top showing off a large amount of cleavage, and a short black skirt. Her dark hair cascading around her shoulders.  
  
He had to force himself to meet her eyes. "I'm working on it," she snapped.  
  
Jewel's eyebrow raised. "I thought you'd be quicker than this," she said, frowning a little.   
  
Richard sighed. "I think she knows something's up, or for some reason she just despises me, but she won't be in the same room with me for more than a minute."  
  
Jewel tapped long blood-red nails on the table top. "Why don't you get her while she's sleeping?" she suggested.   
  
Richard's eyebrow raised. "I might have to do that."  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 6  
  
Pandora was annoyed. Everywhere she turned recently Richard seemed to be there. He kept *looking* at her. She could never quite interpret the look on his face.  
  
"A little edgy, aren't we?"  
  
Pandora nearly jumped a mile at the sudden sound of Willow's voice behind her. She turned around, glaring angrily, silver eyes flashing. "Don't *do* that," she hissed.   
  
Willow gave her a lopsided smile. "What's up with you?"  
  
Pandora opened her mouth to answer, then shut it again. "I'm not sure," she admitted finally. And it was the honest truth. She had no idea what was wrong.  
  
Something bugged her, and she wasn't sure what.   
  
"Does this have something to do with our new friend?" Willow wasn't as dense as she seemed sometimes.   
  
Pandora frowned. "I don't know. I don't like him," she said.  
  
Willow snorted. "Gee, that's unmissable."  
  
Pandora glared again. "You're not helping."  
  
"What's going on?" Rose came in then, going through the day's mail.   
  
"Anything good?" Willow asked.  
  
"No, just junk," Rose said, tossing the envelopes in the trash.  
  
Pandora could feel her annoyance rising. "There are more serious problems at hand than the day's mail," she snapped.   
  
Rose and Willow stopped and looked at her, and from the looks on their faces Pandora knew they thought she was out of her mind. Pandora turned and stalked out, ignoring them muttering to each other. She *knew* there was something up with Richard.  
  
Let them deal with the consequences when they found out they were wrong.   
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 7  
  
The moonlight lit the dark hallway, creating what seemed like a silver carpet that led to the closed door of Pandora's bedroom. Richard stood outside, stake clutched in his hand. Get in there, he told himself. Stop being such a fucking wuss. Get in there, make her dead, then the sooner you get out of here.  
  
He didn't know why he was hesitating. This had been the plan right from the start. Get Pandora. She was a traitor, she deserved to die.   
  
But getting her while she was asleep...he wasn't sure why that bothered him so much. It seemed almost...cowardly. The easy way out. She was never in the room with him long enough for him to get her another way, and those stupid friends of hers were all hanging around all the time. Maybe he should just say the hell with the lot of them and blow up the whole fucking house. It was a safe bet that Jewel or someone she knew would know something about explosives and how to use them...  
  
But since he was here, he might as well do what he'd come to do.   
  
He opened the door and silently slipped in to Pandora's room.  
  
~T'was the Night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...~   
  
He wasn't sure why the old poem suddenly ran through his mind. But it was fitting, he supposed, even though it wasn't the night before Christmas.   
  
He watched Pandora asleep for a while, from the shadows. The window provided a view into the street, she hadn't bothered to shut the curtains, he didn't want to arouse the suspicions of any nosy neighbours. Humans, he thought. Ugh. Why did I have to be born one?   
  
There was something almost...innocent about Pandora as she lay sleeping. Her face looked so serene, so peaceful, her dark lashes fluttering against her pale cheeks, she was bathed in a silver halo from the moonlight, seeming strangely beautiful and almost angelic.   
  
But it didn't matter how beautiful she was. She was a traitor.   
  
Get it over with, he told himself firmly. He gripped the stake, and sat down on the bed.  
  
Before he could plunge it into her heart, she sat up and stared at him.   
  
* * *  
  



	4. Parts 8-11

Part 8  
  
Pandora woke with a start, not exactly sure why. She glanced around her room blindly, seeing nothing but a cloak of silver moonlight. Nothing seemed out of place.  
  
Apart from the boy who sat on her bed with a large wooden stake in his hand, looking at her with a very surprised expression.  
  
Pandora blinked, focusing on Richard as he sat there, looking at her. He looked even more gorgeous in the moonlight, she thought irrationally. She felt the sudden insane impulse to want to pull him close, bury her face in that wonderful long hair of his.   
  
"You were sent here to kill me," she flatly. She had *known* there was something wrong with this guy from the start.   
  
"Yeah," he said. He didn't deny it. Smart of him. It would have been pretty pointless trying to deny it anyway, with him sat there with a damn stake in his hand.   
  
Pandora spread her arms. "So why aren't you doing it?"  
  
The stake dropped from Richard's hand onto the bed. He sat there staring at her. Pandora dropped her arms. She didn't like the strange crackling tension on the air between them.   
  
"I don't know," he said finally.  
  
They sat there in silence, just staring at each other, no one making a move. Pandora sighed with irritation. She reached to take the stake from his hand. Her fingers brushed against his...  
  
Fzzz!  
  
Sparks. Her entire vision turned vaguely pink. Her circuits felt as if they'd been fried.   
  
"What the fuck?" she heard him muttering. He jerked his hand back, glaring at her, looking rather frazzled.   
  
Pandora glared back. "You tell me," she snarled. "You did it!"  
  
"I did not!" he snapped at her.   
  
She reached to grab the stake a second time, and the same thing happened. Sparks shot from the skin to skin contact, and something seemed to be trying to fuse them together. A white light was starting to bloom, and she felt herself drawn closer to him. But not physically. This was something that was happening inside her *head.*  
  
Panic was rampaging inside her. She didn't understand. What the hell *was* this? She didn't *want* to be inside Richard's head, and she certainly didn't want him in hers.  
  
~Oh no,~ she heard him think. ~Shit. This can't be happening...~  
  
~What?~ she asked furiously.   
  
  
  
"I think it's the soulmate principle." His voice shattered the illusion of the while light and they were thrown back into her bedroom with the moon shining down on them, with a white light of its own.  
  
He was human. How would he know about soulmates? "How did you...?" she asked, trailing off.   
  
He shrugged. "I've heard the Night People talk about it, and how it's destroying all their best members."  
  
So. He was really with the Night World then. It was surprising to Pandora that the Night People would really accept a human. But she knew Richard absolutely hated humans as much as they did, so maybe it wasn't all that surprising.   
  
"So what are you going to do?" she asked him finally.   
  
"I don't know," he said a second time. He stood up and left the room, leaving her alone.   
  
Pandora got up and closed the door, and the curtains, blocking out the moonlight. It reminded her too much of the white light of the soulmate connection. Soulmates...oh great. The guy who was supposed to be her one and only was a complete jerk, and he had been hired to kill her.  
  
Would he actually do it? Now he knew? She didn't know. Oh the hell with it, she thought tiredly. I'll worry about it in the morning. She got back into bed and fell into a restless, dreamless sleep.  
  
* * *   
Part 9  
  
When Pandora woke the following morning she felt surprisingly empty and didn't know why. Her mind drifted back to the night before and the soulmate connection she'd discovered with Richard. She still didn't believe it.  
  
It was just typical of her life at the moment, that her one and only had been sent to kill her. She didn't know why she cared so much. Richard was an arrogant bastard. Worse than some Night People. And he was *human* too. That really shouldn't matter, but...  
  
Pandora shook her head angrily. Ugh, what was wrong with her? She dragged herself out of bed reluctantly. It was Saturday, so that meant no school. She didn't know what she planned to do with herself all day.  
  
She showered and dressed, heading into the kitchen, preoccupied.  
  
"Gee, check out the Spirit of Happiness," Willow said cheerfully. She sat at the table, a bowl of cereal in front of her, flipping through the morning paper.   
  
"Oh shut up," Pandora snapped. She was really not in the mood for Willow's annoying cheerfulness. She wondered vaguely where Richard was. Why should she even care? He'd been sent to kill her, for God's sake. What was the matter with her?  
  
  
"Touchy, touchy," Rose said, coming into the room. "What's up with you?"  
  
Pandora sighed. She couldn't keep this to herself. She needed to talk to someone. "Richard came into my room last night," she said.  
  
Willow cheered. "Woo-hoo! Go Pandora!"  
  
Pandora sighed. She should have expected this. "No, it's not good. He was there to kill me, only I woke up before he could."  
  
"So why didn't he kill you?" Rose asked.  
  
Pandora sighed a second time. "Because we're soulmates," she admitted reluctantly.   
  
Willow looked confused. "Soulmates is a *good* thing, right?"  
  
Pandora didn't know. Generally, from what she'd heard soulmates were supposed to be wonderful. So what did you do when your one and only had been sent to put you out of commission?  
  
"Richard isn't too happy about it either. I don't know what he plans on doing."  
  
"How come he came to kill you?" Rose asked. "What'd you say to piss him off?" She sounded rather amused.   
  
Pandora was annoyed. "I didn't piss him off. The Night World sent him after me. They're pissed at *me* for betraying them."  
  
Rose didn't say anything. Neither did Willow, which had to be a first. They sat at the kitchen table in silence, no one seemed to know what to say.  
  
Pandora could feel her impatience rising. Doing nothing was driving her crazy. These Daybreak idiots were not helping at all. She should have known better than to try and talk to such dimwits with stupid idealist principles. This wasn't who she was.   
  
Who was she?  
  
She didn't know anymore. For years she had been certain. She had been cruel, ice cold, no one messed with her unless they wanted an early death. But maybe this Daybreak thing was really too much for her to cope with.  
  
"This is all your fault," she snapped at Rose.  
  
Rose blinked, looking confused. "My fault? How'd you figure that one?"  
  
"You betrayed the Night World, you were one of the most powerful witches I'd ever met, then you went and fucked it all up, and not just for you, for me too, cause I lost it and couldn't kill you. And if you hadn't done that, then Richard wouldn't be trying to kill me."  
  
She turned and stalked off. There was only one thing for her to do. Get Richard before he got her.  
  
* * *  
Part 10  
  
Damn it all to hell. Richard paced up and down, annoyed. Now what? He had never believed soulmates really existed, it was just some fairy tale that the good guys came up with to drool over. He made a face. Why did it have to pick him? And stick him with Pandora of all people. He was supposed to be meeting Jewel in less that five minutes, and she was going to be royally pissed to find out Pandora wasn't dead yet.   
  
"Well?"  
  
He turned to find Jewel scowling at him. Oh great. To make everything even worse she was in a bad mood. Just fucking great. Why did all this have to happen to him? He wondered a second time.  
  
"Well what?" he said evenly. The night wind blew strongly around them, the air smelled of rain. Why couldn't she have picked a nice cosy bar to meet in instead of the town park in the middle of the night?  
  
Of course, he'd left the safe house. He didn't know if Pandora would mention what had gone on between them to her Daybreak friends, but he didn't want to stick around her.   
  
"Is she dead yet?" Jewel asked, her eyes flashing as the moon peeked out from behind a cloud.   
  
"I'm working on it," he answered blandly, trying to shield his thoughts from her.  
  
Jewel folded her arms. "You said you were going to get her while she was sleeping. What happened to that?"  
  
He just shrugged uncomfortably. "Don't you think that sounds kind of..." He searched for the right word. "Cowardly?" he finally finished. The train of thoughts he'd been having whilst standing outside Pandora's door.   
  
She eyed him suspiciously. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were deliberately taking your time," she said, her tone dangerous.  
  
Richard forced himself to meet her eyes. "Why'd you think that?"  
  
"You've been living with those Daybreak idiots for almost two weeks now, you're supposed to be fast," Jewel said, glaring at him. "You said you'd kill her and you haven't. But maybe there's a reason for it."   
  
He didn't say anything, not liking the chance in her tone, the malice there. He just folded his arms and looked at her.  
  
"Maybe you haven't killed her," Jewel went on, "because you're a little *too* soft on her, maybe you haven't killed her, because you're in *love* with her, and if that's the case..." She smiled unpleasantly, trailing off. She didn't complete her sentence. She didn't need to. He knew where she was going.   
  
"Don't be absurd," he snorted. And that part was the truth. He was *not* in love with Pandora. He *wasn't*.  
  
Jewel smiled at him. "Fine. If she means nothing to you, then kill her. Because if you don't do it in the next twenty four hours, I will kill you both."  
  
Richard glowered at her. What a bitch. "Flame'll be pissed," he said lamely. All the defence he could come up with.   
  
Jewel laughed, the sound shattering the silence of the night. "You're human, remember? Not important to the Night World really, you're just our lackey. Flame won't give a damn if I kill you because you couldn't complete the assignment." And with those words she walked away, leaving Richard staring after her.   
  
* * *  
Part 11  
  
Jewel shook her head in utter disgust. She should have known never to let a human do a Night Person's job. Richard may be cute, but he wasn't a great as Flame seemed to think.   
  
He wasn't as good as she thought he was. If he kept his to his reputation that Pandora bitch would be dead by now. Now why hadn't he done it?  
  
Didn't matter.   
  
She stood outside the Circle Daybreak safe house. Pandora was inside, and alone as well. The others were gone, she couldn't sense them. They weren't all that smart at keeping themselves hidden.  
  
Now what was there to do? She was becoming very convinced that there might possibly be something going on between Pandora and Richard. Why else wouldn't he be able to kill her?  
  
Something had to be done about that. That was against the rules. Then again, the rules seemed to be bent for Richard. Jewel made a face.   
  
She had never known a human who hated his own species so much, why was unknown, he just hated them. It would be a shame if it turned out he was a traitor.   
  
But there had to be something to do to try and prove it.  
  
Jewel continued to watch the house, her lip curving into a smirk as an idea began to form in her mind.   
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Have you talked to Pandora lately?" Willow asked.  
  
Rose shook her head. "She's gone all bitchy and distant." Ever since Saturday morning Pandora refused to have anything to do with either her or Willow, she snapped at them when they tried to talk to her.   
  
Richard had gone kind of distant as well. He was hardly ever around anymore.   
  
"I wonder what's going on between her and Richard," Willow said, reaching for her house keys.  
  
They headed up the driveway. The night was cold and black, no moon shone, thick clouds covered the stars. Rose shivered.   
  
"What the..."  
  
She glanced over at Willow, who had pushed the door open. It was unlocked. The handle spun uselessly when she turned it, broken. They exchanged glances.  
  
Rose pushed the door open and stepped inside. Everything looked exactly the same as it had been when they'd left earlier that evening. Rose hadn't been able to stand the tension in the house with Pandora's attitude and had dragged Willow to the movies. Any excuse to get out the house. Pandora had been upstairs.   
  
"Everything looks the same." Willow was confused. "So why is the door knob broken?"  
  
Rose shrugged. "Let's look upstairs."  
  
Sticking close together, they slowly made their way upstairs. After checking their bedrooms, nothing was missing. Rose knocked on Richard's door. No one answered. She tried the door handle. Locked.   
  
Willow headed to Pandora's room. "Uh, we've got a problem."  
  
Rose hurried down the hall, stopping and staring in disbelief. Pandora's door hung on its hinges. The room itself was a mess, looking like it had been hit by a hurricane. There was blood splattered on the curtains. The window was broken, shards of glass gathered underneath.   
  
"What's going on?"  
  
They turned to see Richard standing behind them, looking rather blank at the messy room. Pandora wasn't a messy person. Rose knew that. There had been a fight in this room.   
  
"Pandora's gone," Willow said bluntly.   
  
"You wouldn't happen to know something about that would you?" Rose asked, eyeing him suspiciously.  
  
"Why would I?" he asked, meeting her gaze directly, seeming totally unaffected. Rose felt like throttling him. He was one of the most irritating people she'd ever met.   
  
"How about because you're really working with the Night World and was sent to kill her?" Willow demanded, starting to advance on him.  
Richard didn't look too impressed. "Yeah, but I didn't kill her. I could have, but I didn't."  
  
Willow stopped. "Why not?"  
  
"We're soulmates," he admitted. He had an expression now. He looked a little embarrassed.   
  
"So you didn't do anything?" Rose asked. Did she believe him? It was kind of hard to tell.   
  
"So if you didn't do anything then who did?" Willow asked.  
  
There was a silence. Pandora had a lot of enemies. She wasn't exactly the most loved person in the world. But who would be strong enough to come inside her house and take her? Was she dead? Or just been kidnapped?   
  
"Jewel," Richard said bluntly. "Damn that bitch."  
  
"Gee, what a surprise," Rose muttered. Why hadn't she thought of that herself?  
  
"I should have known not to trust her," Richard hissed. "I should have killed her."  
  
"You can't go against Jewel," Willow snorted. "She'll probably kill all three of us."  
  
"Well we can't just do nothing," Richard snapped.   
  
"Agreed," Rose said. They couldn't just stand there and let Jewel and the Night World win. What kind of Daybreakers would they be then? They would fight for Pandora, no matter how much of a bitch she was being at the moment, she was still their friend. They would fight for her, or die trying. She'd appreciate that, at least.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Parts 12-13

Part 12  
  
Pandora groaned. Something hurt. Then she realised what - everything. Her muscles were all sore. The last thing she remembered was a sudden rush of dark figures running into her room back at the safe house. She shook her head in confusion, still not understanding how that had happened.  
  
She, of course, had tried to fight them, but there had been simply too many of them and they'd over powered her. She blinked, trying to focus on her surroundings. There was something cold and hard and heavy around her wrists and her ankles. Her fringe kept getting in her eyes and annoying her. She tried to reach out to push the damn thing back.   
  
But she couldn't.   
  
She tugged at her wrists, but couldn't move them. What the hell was going on here? She blinked several times, desperately trying to get to grips with her vision.  
  
The room around her slowly started to come into focus. Dark. Dank. Somewhat smelly too. There were boxes all over the place, with labels of TNT written on them. Wasn't that an English TV channel that produced old movies? But, another part of her said, it's also a company that makes dynamite and explosives?  
  
~Explosives?~ Pandora thought vaguely. ~Then why don't the boxes have an Acme logo?~  
  
"Headache?" a cold voice asked with cheerful spite.  
  
Pandora's head snapped up, and she found herself facing the smirking figure of Jewel Blackthorn. Jewel was standing in front of her, arms crossed, eyes glittering menacingly.  
  
"Gee what a surprise," Pandora said dryly. "I should have known you had something to do with this."  
  
"I wasn't originally contracted to kill you, that was Richard, yell at him," Jewel said.   
  
Pandora didn't say anything. She knew Richard had been contracted to kill her. But she also knew they were soulmates. Did Jewel know that? She wasn't about to say anything. Now she could see more clearly, the room she was in looked like a basement of some sort. The only windows were tiny, and high up, and probably locked. And she was shackled to the wall. Jewel and chains. Great. What a day.   
  
"But I think our yummy little Mr. Borcharde is going a little soft on you. He hasn't killed you yet. The guy's supposed to be good at killing." Jewel shook her head. "Should have known not to trust a human."  
  
Pandora kept her mouth shut. Making smart remarks was probably only going to make Jewel hurt her, and she really wasn't in the mood for being tortured.  
  
Jewel was frowning. "You don't exactly seem surprised."  
  
Pandora shrugged, and then winced when the weight of the chains pulled on her wrists, sending a bolt of pain shooting up her arms. "I know. He came into my room to kill me while I was asleep, but then I woke up and he didn't."  
  
Jewel raised an eyebrow. "Why?"  
  
Pandora opened her mouth, then hesitated. Oh what the hell, she thought. "We're soulmates," she answered.  
  
Jewel stared at her for several minutes without saying anything. Then she snorted in contempt. "Why didn't I figure that one out? Soulmates...it's like a disease, spreading through our best people."  
  
Pandora's own eyebrow raised. Jewel was simply quoting Hunter Redfern there. How he felt about soulmates wasn't unclear. Shame Hunter had bought it.   
  
"But this is all your own fault in the end," Jewel was going on.  
  
Pandora turned to look at her, frowning. "How'd you figure that?"  
  
"Or rather, it's Rose's fault, not yours," Jewel continued, ignoring her. "You were contracted to kill her, you fucked up."  
  
Pandora glared. It *was* Rose's fault. Jewel was only playing with her brain, trying to get into her head. She didn't want Jewel running around in her mind. She might break something. "So kill Rose, not me."  
  
Jewel smiled. "I do believe that was your job." The smile faded. "But it doesn't really matter now." She gestured around the room to the boxes. "When your little back-up team comes to rescue you, like the idiotic Daybreakers they are, they'll come and try and save you. And your - soulmate - " She said the word with a grimace - "will come too. And then I'm going to blow you all up. I have a few friends who have connections in explosives." And then she left, heading up the basement steps. Pandora heard a lock snapping on the door.  
  
Shit. It looked rather hopeless.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Part 13  
  
There was a hiatus. Despite the fact that they'd worked out Jewel was the culprit, and had decided they would try to get Pandora back, they didn't seem to know where to start. Richard sighed with impatience as they sat in the kitchen, not doing anything.   
  
"Well what do you suggest we do?" Rose snapped at him.   
  
He glared at her. "I don't know," he snapped back. "But there's got to be something - " His eyes fell on the kitchen phone.   
  
"You think you can just call her and she'll tell you where to go?" Willow asked with contempt.  
  
Richard turned his glare on her. "You got a better idea?" Willow didn't say anything, so he went to the phone and called Jewel's cell phone.   
  
She answered with, "I knew you'd call sooner or later."  
  
"Where's Pandora?" he demanded.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she answered in a sing-songy voice.  
  
"Can the sarcasm you bitch," he hissed at her. But probably to a vampire like Jewel a human hissing was about as scary as a new kitten hissing.   
  
Jewel's ice-cold laughter sounded in his ear. "You've lost all your sense of humour."   
  
He didn't say anything. Just waited. What if Jewel had killed Pandora already? She was just playing with his head. And doing a damn good job.   
  
"All right, all right," Jewel said finally with a sigh. "You'll find her in the basement of house 13 on Saratoga Avenue." And she hung up.   
  
Richard was confused. Huh? She had just *told* them all where to go? That wasn't like Jewel? His eyes narrowed. Now what was she up to?  
  
Rose was frowning. "Well?"  
  
"She just told us where to go," he answered. Why wasn't her happier?   
  
Willow's head tilted. "And that's bad, why? Maybe Jewel's just realising she can't win this one, and has got some sense knocked into her."  
  
Richard didn't say anything. Let the dumb idiot be as optimistic as she wanted to be. Jewel would never give in to anyone, especially not Daybreakers.   
  
"Well the only thing we can do is go and see what's going on," Rose said.   
  
Richard wasn't too happy about it, but there didn't seem to be anything else to do.   
  
* * *  



	6. Part 14

Part 14  
  
Pandora scowled, tugging at her chains. Damn. Damn. Damn. She hated being stuck here so much. She was going to love slaughtering Jewel when she got free.  
  
Yet no matter how hard she tugged, even with her vampiric strength. She refused to scream for help. Screaming meant saying you were weak.   
  
And she was *not* weak.  
  
Gritting her teeth she yanked hard on the chains, and was rewarded with an ear-splitting creak as the chain finally gave. The harder she tugged and pulled, slowly, slowly, the chains were loosening. They were coming off at the wall.   
  
She was sweating with the effort by the time she finally got to pulling her ankles free. She was bleeding, and in pain, but didn't care, and all that mattered was getting the hell out of here.  
  
Pulling a hairpin from her hair, she used it to pick the locks and tossed the chains to one side, grinning triumphantly.   
  
She was about to head up the stairs when she heard voices and footsteps. She heard strange sounds, what sounded like the lock of the basement door being picked.   
  
She stood back, frowning. It wasn't Jewel. The door swung open.  
  
"Does anyone else get the impression that this is too easy?" Willow's voice was saying.  
  
Pandora was surprised. Willow, Rose and Richard were coming down the stairs. "What are you doing here?" she asked.   
  
"Rescuing you?" Willow said.  
  
"It's nice to know you're appreciated," Richard said sourly.   
  
Pandora glared at him. "This is all your fault," she snapped.   
  
"Oh shut up," he snapped back.  
  
Pandora scowled, not sure what to do. She could have gotten out of this mess herself, and now they'd all shown up playing hero.   
  
Rose was frowning. "You're bleeding, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," Pandora said, shoving past her. "And I'm still mad at you."  
  
She didn't care if she seemed ungrateful, this was all their fault. Forget Daybreak. She'd just work for herself. She was all that mattered.   
  
"And where do we think we're going?"  
  
She looked up to see Jewel had appeared at the top of the basement steps. "Oh great," she muttered.  
  
  
Richard glowered at her. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Jewel smiled. "Look around."  
  
They did. Pandora watched their faces as they saw the dynamite.   
  
Jewel continued to smile brightly. "I'm going to blow you all up. But it could all end happily."  
  
"How?" Willow snorted.   
  
Jewel didn't answer her. Instead she turned to Pandora, holding out a semi-automatic. Pandora frowned. "What's this for?" she asked. "Blowing your brains out?"  
  
Jewel chuckled. "No." She gestured over at Rose. "This is all *her* fault really."  
  
"It's not my fault," Rose protested, alarmed.  
  
Pandora took the weapon, studying it. Jewel actually did have a point.   
  
"She betrayed the Night World," Jewel went on. "It was your assignment to kill her, and the only reason we're trying to kill you is because you failed. Kill Rose and everything can go back to normal. And you can also kill Willow too, if you want."  
  
"What did I do?" Willow squeaked.   
  
Richard smiled faintly. "Even I can answer that one. You're a wussy Daybreaker," he said. "And you the most irritating person I have ever met."  
  
Pandora laughed at that. He was of course, absolutely right. And so was Jewel. She had tried life in Daybreak, and just wasn't cut out for it. It wasn't her. She smiled at the weapon in her hands, raised it, pressed it against Willow's forehead and fired. Blood and brains sprayed out the back of Willow's head, covering Rose, who was second to fall.   
  
"Is that sensible?" Richard asked dryly. "Shooting a gun in an area of dynamite?"  
  
Pandora and Jewel exchanged glances. "Let's get out of here," Jewel said.  
  
Pandora had no objections to that. Just because she had completed her assignment didn't mean she and Jewel were going to be friends now. She followed her and Richard out and to Richard's convertible parked outside the house.   
  
"Drive," Jewel ordered, hopping in bypassing the door.   
  
Richard shook his head. "Sensible people use doors, you know." He opened his door and got in the drivers seat. Pandora found herself in the back. Richard revved the engine and shot of down the street.   
  
  
  
  
Ten minutes later, Pandora heard a loud bang. She turned in her seat and watched fire shoot up into the sky. Obviously Jewel had blown up the house and the bodies after all. A second monstrous bang followed, and somewhere else a second plume of fire and smoke shot into the night sky.  
  
"I blew up the safe house as well," Jewel said cheerfully.  
  
Pandora shook her head. "Can you say pyromaniac?" she muttered.   
  
The rest of the drive was silent. Pandora hadn't asked where they were going but had guessed they were probably going back to Night World headquarters. Would the Night World have her back? She had to come up with some sort of excuse for a temporary lapse of sanity.   
  
She tried to ignore the pit of apprehension in her stomach as Richard pulled up at the house. He seemed rather calm and collected. He'd failed his assignment.   
  
In silence, they headed down the dark, twisting hallways, to Flame's office. Flame was sitting in her chair, a stack of paperwork on her desk. She didn't look too pleased to see Pandora.  
  
She glared at Jewel and Richard. "Why isn't she dead yet?" she demanded. "And what the fuck is she doing waltzing in here?"  
  
Pandora smiled faintly. "Assignment complete," she said.  
  
Flame eyed her suspiciously. "What?"  
  
"Rose is dead, and so is Willow, another wussy Daybreaker," she added almost as an afterthought.  
  
Flame looked over from her to Richard and Jewel. "Is she?" she asked.  
  
"Very," Richard said with a snicker.   
  
Flame looked at Pandora. "So this going in to Daybreak was all just part of a plan?" she asked.  
  
Pandora hadn't thought of that herself, but Flame had just given her the perfect excuse. "Yeah. I knew what I had to do all along."  
  
"All ends well for her," Richard said. "But what about me?"  
  
Pandora looked at him, shaking her head. What was the matter with him?   
  
Flame eyed him. "Why didn't you kill Pandora? Or was this all part of her plan?"  
  
Richard grimaced. "We're soulmates," he answered.   
  
Flame shook her head. "I should have guessed. But the next time you plan something like this, Dora, do tell me first."  
  
Pandora eyed Richard. He certainly was gorgeous. And all hers. So why should the poor guy suffer as human.  
  
Before she could even ask her question Flame sighed and said, "If you want to change him, fine, just don't get mushy in here."  
"Sounds good to me," Richard said.  
  
Pandora smirked as she and Richard walked out of the mansion into the night. She'd had a little crisis, and she'd conquered it.  
  
The best may fall sometimes, but they get up again.  
  
THE END.  
  
  
  



	7. Part 14

Part 14  
  
Pandora scowled, tugging at her chains. Damn. Damn. Damn. She hated being stuck here so much. She was going to love slaughtering Jewel when she got free.  
  
Yet no matter how hard she tugged, even with her vampiric strength. She refused to scream for help. Screaming meant saying you were weak.   
  
And she was *not* weak.  
  
Gritting her teeth she yanked hard on the chains, and was rewarded with an ear-splitting creak as the chain finally gave. The harder she tugged and pulled, slowly, slowly, the chains were loosening. They were coming off at the wall.   
  
She was sweating with the effort by the time she finally got to pulling her ankles free. She was bleeding, and in pain, but didn't care, and all that mattered was getting the hell out of here.  
  
Pulling a hairpin from her hair, she used it to pick the locks and tossed the chains to one side, grinning triumphantly.   
  
She was about to head up the stairs when she heard voices and footsteps. She heard strange sounds, what sounded like the lock of the basement door being picked.   
  
She stood back, frowning. It wasn't Jewel. The door swung open.  
  
"Does anyone else get the impression that this is too easy?" Willow's voice was saying.  
  
Pandora was surprised. Willow, Rose and Richard were coming down the stairs. "What are you doing here?" she asked.   
  
"Rescuing you?" Willow said.  
  
"It's nice to know you're appreciated," Richard said sourly.   
  
Pandora glared at him. "This is all your fault," she snapped.   
  
"Oh shut up," he snapped back.  
  
Pandora scowled, not sure what to do. She could have gotten out of this mess herself, and now they'd all shown up playing hero.   
  
Rose was frowning. "You're bleeding, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," Pandora said, shoving past her. "And I'm still mad at you."  
  
She didn't care if she seemed ungrateful, this was all their fault. Forget Daybreak. She'd just work for herself. She was all that mattered.   
  
"And where do we think we're going?"  
  
She looked up to see Jewel had appeared at the top of the basement steps. "Oh great," she muttered.  
  
  
Richard glowered at her. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Jewel smiled. "Look around."  
  
They did. Pandora watched their faces as they saw the dynamite.   
  
Jewel continued to smile brightly. "I'm going to blow you all up. But it could all end happily."  
  
"How?" Willow snorted.   
  
Jewel didn't answer her. Instead she turned to Pandora, holding out a semi-automatic. Pandora frowned. "What's this for?" she asked. "Blowing your brains out?"  
  
Jewel chuckled. "No." She gestured over at Rose. "This is all *her* fault really."  
  
"It's not my fault," Rose protested, alarmed.  
  
Pandora took the weapon, studying it. Jewel actually did have a point.   
  
"She betrayed the Night World," Jewel went on. "It was your assignment to kill her, and the only reason we're trying to kill you is because you failed. Kill Rose and everything can go back to normal. And you can also kill Willow too, if you want."  
  
"What did I do?" Willow squeaked.   
  
Richard smiled faintly. "Even I can answer that one. You're a wussy Daybreaker," he said. "And you the most irritating person I have ever met."  
  
Pandora laughed at that. He was of course, absolutely right. And so was Jewel. She had tried life in Daybreak, and just wasn't cut out for it. It wasn't her. She smiled at the weapon in her hands, raised it, pressed it against Willow's forehead and fired. Blood and brains sprayed out the back of Willow's head, covering Rose, who was second to fall.   
  
"Is that sensible?" Richard asked dryly. "Shooting a gun in an area of dynamite?"  
  
Pandora and Jewel exchanged glances. "Let's get out of here," Jewel said.  
  
Pandora had no objections to that. Just because she had completed her assignment didn't mean she and Jewel were going to be friends now. She followed her and Richard out and to Richard's convertible parked outside the house.   
  
"Drive," Jewel ordered, hopping in bypassing the door.   
  
Richard shook his head. "Sensible people use doors, you know." He opened his door and got in the drivers seat. Pandora found herself in the back. Richard revved the engine and shot of down the street.   
  
  
  
  
Ten minutes later, Pandora heard a loud bang. She turned in her seat and watched fire shoot up into the sky. Obviously Jewel had blown up the house and the bodies after all. A second monstrous bang followed, and somewhere else a second plume of fire and smoke shot into the night sky.  
  
"I blew up the safe house as well," Jewel said cheerfully.  
  
Pandora shook her head. "Can you say pyromaniac?" she muttered.   
  
The rest of the drive was silent. Pandora hadn't asked where they were going but had guessed they were probably going back to Night World headquarters. Would the Night World have her back? She had to come up with some sort of excuse for a temporary lapse of sanity.   
  
She tried to ignore the pit of apprehension in her stomach as Richard pulled up at the house. He seemed rather calm and collected. He'd failed his assignment.   
  
In silence, they headed down the dark, twisting hallways, to Flame's office. Flame was sitting in her chair, a stack of paperwork on her desk. She didn't look too pleased to see Pandora.  
  
She glared at Jewel and Richard. "Why isn't she dead yet?" she demanded. "And what the fuck is she doing waltzing in here?"  
  
Pandora smiled faintly. "Assignment complete," she said.  
  
Flame eyed her suspiciously. "What?"  
  
"Rose is dead, and so is Willow, another wussy Daybreaker," she added almost as an afterthought.  
  
Flame looked over from her to Richard and Jewel. "Is she?" she asked.  
  
"Very," Richard said with a snicker.   
  
Flame looked at Pandora. "So this going in to Daybreak was all just part of a plan?" she asked.  
  
Pandora hadn't thought of that herself, but Flame had just given her the perfect excuse. "Yeah. I knew what I had to do all along."  
  
"All ends well for her," Richard said. "But what about me?"  
  
Pandora looked at him, shaking her head. What was the matter with him?   
  
Flame eyed him. "Why didn't you kill Pandora? Or was this all part of her plan?"  
  
Richard grimaced. "We're soulmates," he answered.   
  
Flame shook her head. "I should have guessed. But the next time you plan something like this, Dora, do tell me first."  
  
Pandora eyed Richard. He certainly was gorgeous. And all hers. So why should the poor guy suffer as human.  
  
Before she could even ask her question Flame sighed and said, "If you want to change him, fine, just don't get mushy in here."  
"Sounds good to me," Richard said.  
  
Pandora smirked as she and Richard walked out of the mansion into the night. She'd had a little crisis, and she'd conquered it.  
  
The best may fall sometimes, but they get up again.  
  
THE END.  
  
  
  



End file.
